mesbooks #278 - Chapter 12: The Marquis Enters the City (Part 3)
#278 - Chapter 12: The Marquis Enters the City (Part 3)
When Jesslyn returned to the steel gate, he glanced down at the fragrant skewers in his hand, feeling a bit bewildered. Liu Yuan had forcibly stuffed them into his hand when they parted ways. Jesslyn shook his head helplessly, inwardly sighing: This Marquess Garon is truly a man of whims! Then, he turned around, stepped through the city gate, and headed towards the Red Keep, intending to report Liu Yuan's situation truthfully.
Soon after, news came from the Red Keep that Lord Tywin had ordered that Liu Yuan be allowed to enter the city with his guards. Ser Jaime, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and Tyrion, the Master of Coin, were there to greet him.
Today, the people of King's Landing were in for a spectacle. Marquess Garon, the traitor who had caused such a stir two years ago, was now a royal guest, arriving in King's Landing in broad daylight.
Five Lannister cavalrymen, carrying the King's banners, led the way. The onlookers, both soldiers and civilians, didn't notice their pale faces. The Gold Cloaks, having received orders, stood on both sides of the street with long spears, fearing that some ignorant commoner might do something out of line.
The deep sound of a horn, like muffled thunder, came from afar and drew nearer. Upon hearing this horn, the people of King's Landing felt the ground beneath their feet begin to tremble slightly.
"Eh, what's that sound?" someone asked, uncertainly.
"Maybe it's footsteps!" another person guessed.
"Nonsense! How big would the feet have to be to make such a loud sound?" Many people began to whisper and discuss.
At this moment, Jesslyn stepped forward to convey the order: Open the gate, allow Marquess Garon and his guard to enter the city. Only when the last soldier had entered the city did he slump into his chair, relieved, his hand still trembling slightly as he picked up his wine glass. The scene outside the city just now was too terrifying, and he was still shaken by it.
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, a massive cloud of dust rolled in. Many people were caught off guard and blinded by the sand, some even getting a mouthful of it. Before they could complain or curse, a deafening roar suddenly erupted. Immediately afterward, a colossal beast appeared before everyone's eyes. It raised its long trunk and let out a "toot toot" sound, then unhesitatingly lumbered through the city gate.
The first to enter the city were fifty majestic war elephants. Although these behemoths were not unfamiliar to the residents of the capital, seeing them up close was still a shocking sight. What terrified the people even more were the towering figures beside the elephants – the legendary… giants!
These fully armed, enormous giants were only slightly shorter than the city gate, but the terrifying aura they exuded was enough to make one's blood run cold. Especially the grotesque masks covering their faces, which were even more chilling, like devils from the abyss of hell.
When they saw this scene, the ordinary people, who were completely unprepared, could no longer suppress the extreme panic in their hearts.
"Monsters!" Someone screamed in terror, and then the people in the front row began to retreat involuntarily. The whole scene fell into chaos: some people fled in panic; some collapsed to the ground, trembling; and some were even so frightened that they lost their minds, frantically crying and searching for a place to hide. For a moment, all sorts of shoes and debris were scattered on the ground, as if it had just been looted.
At the same time, more and more giant guards were leading the war elephants out of the city gate one after another. Each step caused the ground to shake violently, raising clouds of dust wherever they went, creating a majestic, cloud-riding atmosphere…
Liu Yuan led this fully armed, awe-inspiring guard, marching mightily through the streets of King's Landing, a prosperous city with hundreds of thousands of people. In just an instant, they successfully cleared the streets, and the originally noisy environment became eerily silent.
The once-wide streets now seemed unusually narrow as the massive war elephants moved forward with slow, heavy steps. Each time their thick, pillar-like legs stepped on the ground, they made a dull thud, like marching war drums!
At the same time, there were the giant's feet in steel-armored boots. "Thump, thump!" Each step was like a heavy hammer slamming into the ground, as if to shatter people's fragile hearts.
The Gold Cloaks responsible for maintaining order also quietly slipped away. However, some bolder individuals still stood far away on the side of the street, and being able to stand there was already considered very brave.
But what really frightened them was yet to come. Behind the giants followed a fully armed heavy cavalry, and their mounts were also ferocious and terrifying beasts, with sharp, gleaming fangs that sent chills down one's spine.
Jaime's face was very ugly. He knew very well that Liu Yuan's show of force in King's Landing was nothing more than to flaunt his powerful military strength. To be honest, even he himself was frightened when he saw them just now. Especially when he felt the fierce aura exuding from those beastly mounts, the warhorse beneath him even trembled involuntarily.
In comparison, Tyrion didn't care about all of this. He shamelessly climbed onto Lyanna's elephant carriage, still wearing that trademark smile on his face. This person was very good at getting along with children, and was always able to make them happy in various ways. The two little ones also liked him very much, often playing around him. And Tyrion would occasionally chat with Liu Yuan and the others below, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Wherever this team went, people fled in panic. Whether it was the tall and mighty giants, the majestic war elephants, or those ferocious and terrifying giant lizards, they were all awe-inspiring. People didn't dare to look them directly in the eye, their hearts filled with fear. Those citizens who had just lost their loved ones wanted to throw garbage at Liu Yuan as a sign of resentment when he entered the city, but now they were so frightened that they trembled all over, and could only hide behind low walls, secretly peeking at the passing team, not daring to breathe, let alone show any disrespect.
The team passed through the Steel Gate and entered the city, passing through Flea Bottom, Eel Alley, and Flour Street. Then, they traveled along the Mud Road and finally arrived at the Setigar estate in Hook Alley, where they settled down.